USS Higgins (DDG-76)

The USS Higgins (DDG-76) is vital for defending American interests and protecting freedom across the globe. An Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer for the US Navy, she is marvelously equipped to succeed in even the most demanding of missions.

Named after Marine Corps Colonel William Richard Higgins, the USS Higgins and her crew live up to his legacy of pride in service and strength of character. Colonel Higgins was captured in 1988 while serving on a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. He was held hostage, tortured, and eventually murdered by his captors. On March 18, 1992, President George Bush posthumously awarded Col. Higgins the Presidential Citizens Medal.

Commissioned on 14 January 1999, the USS Higgins has a displacement of approximately 8,900 long tons and stretches some 505 feet in length. Armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons, she is equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. She also is home to a SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter.

This coin is minted in bronze, and pays tribute to the USS Higgins, saluting the exceptional service of her crew. The obverse contains a starboard view of the USS Higgins cutting through the ocean with the Marine Corps logo in the background. The reverse displays the shield and crest of the USS Higgins.

™ Department of the Navy. Officially Licensed by the Department of the Navy.